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Here is the Indiana king stocking location announcement from Ben Dickenson, there will be an increase in Indiana king stocking from last year:

I know a lot of you have anxiously awaited the announcement. Without further ado – 2023 chinook stocking plans have been officially announced, with 75,000 chinook salmon slated for East Chicago, 100,000 for Little Cal, and 100,000 for Trail Creek
Thanks to all that attended the public meetings and took the public input survey.
You can view the summary report of the process and survey here:
www.in.gov/.../fw-chinook-stocking-schedule.pdf
 
Here's an update on the April Lake Michigan Citizens Advisory Meeting: 

Ben Turschak gave a presentation on alewife mortality and auxiliary indicators to the predator prey ratio.  One of those was the weight of chinook at 35 inches.  In 2012, they weighed around 12lbs.   In 2021, the average weights were 17-18lbs.   The other auxiliary indicators are the average weight of 3-year-old female chinook at the weirs, lake wide avg. weight of 3year old female chinooks, harvest, effort by the charter industry, lake wide biomass of alewives and the age structure of the alewife population.  Ben is working with this data to see if it could be used as leading indicators to manage the fishery.  The health of our fishery is looking good right now and we are getting increased king plants this spring as a result.  

Coho stocking on the Grand is going to be moved further downstream to help smolt survival.  Baby cohos have an extremely long predator gauntlet migrating from Lansing to Lake Michigan.  Plus they have to go over a 33 foot dam drop that could cause some mortality.   If downstream stocking leads to more smolt survival, it could lead to better runs in the Grand. 

Jay Wesley gave a presentation on brown trout stocking.  All brown stocking was moved to northern Michigan to try to stimulate a spring fishery.  The thought was coho provided a good spring fishery in the south and larger and more concentrated brown stocking would help the north.  Jay was looking for advisor input because it was time to re-evaluate the stocking strategy.   Results in the first few years of northern stocking were disappointing but the brown fishery has improved the last 2 years especially this spring.  Jay did note that the brown stocking in Menominee was doing very well with good returns and contributions to the fishery.  Advisor's shared a number of reports of improved brown catches this year.    Should brown trout plants be cut to allow for stocking more of other species?  A discussion ensued about moving a plant to a southern port.  The GLSI and the advisors were in support of keeping the brown trout stocking at current numbers and moving some fish to stock a southern port to evaluate if it contributes to the fishery there.  We are hoping we are on an upward trend to an improved spring brown fishery.  It's important to let the DNR know if you’re catching browns, so they know this stocking program is working.  We are glad to forward any pics to have and want to share. 

Jay and Chairman Denny Grinold shared information on a letter in support of funding for a steelhead smolt survival study using micro transmitters to study their out migration from the rivers and survival.  The GLSI supports this and all the advisors unanimously voted to support this letter:

The Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LMCFAC) would like to offer our support for the proposal, “Movement patterns and survival of out-migrating steelhead smolts in tributaries to Lake Michigan” being submitted to the Great Lakes Fishery Trust by Jory Jonas, Ben Turschak, Randy Espinoza, Nick Legler, Ben Dickinson, and Reid Swanson. Our committee is made of a diverse group of stakeholders represented by various sportsmen’s groups and clubs, charter boat associations, state commercial fishers, local visitors’ bureaus, private businesses, and non-profit organizations. Collectively, our committee provides input and direction into fishery goals, objectives, and management plans for Lake Michigan. Members of this committee meet twice annually to remain apprised and informed of current ecological or management issues facing fisheries managers on Lake Michigan. The Citizen Advisers then help the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) chart the future course of fisheries management by representing the diversity of citizen interests in the Lake Michigan Basin. Among the fishery management issues that have arisen in recent years has been the decline in steelhead run sizes returning to Lake Michigan tributaries. These concerns led to a reduction from a 3 fish bag limit to a 1 fish bag limit on select Michigan tributaries beginning in spring of 2022. However, whether excessive harvest of steelhead returning to Lake Michigan tributaries is the cause for recent declines in run sizes remains unclear. Data shared by DNR biologists at Natural Resource Committee (NRC) meetings in fall of 2021 and 2022 suggest that open lake catch rates of hatchery fish has declined disproportionately relative to catch rates of wild fish which have remained relatively more constant. This suggests that survival of hatchery fish may be the root of declining runs sizes. The research proposed by Jonas and her colleagues will greatly improve our understanding of whether there are substantial differences in the outmigration and survival of hatchery and wild steelhead smolts leaving tributaries in the spring. Importantly, their proposal uses cutting edge technology that can be used to not only characterize differences in wild versus hatchery smolt movement to Lake Michigan but also determine whether steelhead smolts were eaten by a predator during this out-migration phase. Therefore, Jonas and her colleagues should be able to measure numbers of steelhead lost to predation as well as locations where predation may be greatest. If funded, we believe this work has the potential to greatly benefit our understanding of potentially important sources and locations of mortality and give managers the ability to take action to maximize survival of stocked steelhead. Considering the great expense of steelhead rearing and stocking as well as the value of these tributary fisheries to local economies, the LMCFAC is in full support of this proposal. We hope that the GLFT will consider this proposal for full funding.

There was a great presentation by retired DNR Biologist Jim Johnson along with CPMR President Tony Radjenovich on the proposed consent decree.  Dave Carroffino, The MDNR Manager of the Tribal Coordination Unit also spoke. The advisors expressed their concerns over the proposed decree.  The GLSI and all advisors voted unanimously in favor of this resolution regarding the proposed consent decree:

The Lake Michigan Citizens Fishery Advisory Committee (LMCFAC) does not support the proposed
consent decree and demands the DNR remove its support and approval from the ongoing legal process, which is currently being submitted to the Federal Court with public comment on 24 and 25 May 2023.

The LMCFAC, chaired by Mr. Dennis Grinold and Co-chaired by Mr. Bill Winoweiki is made up of 44
primary and alternate members across the entire Lake Michigan and are tasked with representing a
diverse group of various sportsmen’s groups and clubs, charter boat associations, state commercial
fishers, local visitor bureaus, private businesses and non-profit organizations.
Collectively, our committee provides input and direction into fishery goals, objectives, and management plans for Lake Michigan. Members of this committee meet twice annually to remain apprised and informed of current ecological or management issues facing fisheries managers on Lake Michigan. The Citizen Advisers then help the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) chart the future course of fisheries management by representing the diversity of citizen interests in the Lake Michigan Basin.

Among the fishery management issues that have arisen in recent years, has been the decline in
steelhead, lake trout, brown trout, salmon, whitefish, walleye, perch and every game fish in Lake
Michigan. These population issues are not resolved with adding miles of gill nets, no state observers at
weigh stations, no weigh stations, no control on daily take, and no intervention from the state until the 3-year mark, where all population may be irreversibly harmed by the large and small mesh gill nets. The proposed “honor system” of reporting is not a solution.

Considering the great expense of the state and federal hatcheries rearing and stocking as well as the
value of these tributary fisheries to local economies, the LMCFAC is not in support of this proposed
consent decree. We hope that the DNR Leadership, the GLFT, the NRC, The State AG’s Office, and the
Governor’s office will consider this lack of support state-wide and begin anew with tribal options that
protect the fishery.

We will be attending the Lake Huron Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting later this month and will update you then.
Fishing is heating up, good luck and tight lines this spring!Copyright © 2023 Great Lakes Salmon Initiative, All rights reserved.
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